9/11/24: Your voices are making a difference!

In the agenda for tonight's District Advisory Committee there is a promising update about grant funding:

NCPRD staff has recently met with federal, state, and local grant partners to maintain the current grant funding. NCPRD is seeking a formal extension for our federal grant until fall 2026. This is the only grant with a firm deadline. The other grant partners have said they will follow. NCPRD budget resources for phase three improvements are still secure and still in the budget.

The Board of Directors have received several emails in support of completing phase three improvement at the park. These go into the Director log for community input.

Here is the standard response email from the County Commissioners:

Phase three of Milwaukie Bay Park is on pause because there’s been no progress on updating the intergovernmental agreement between NCPRD and the City of Milwaukie. It is our understanding the City is seeking to clarify an appropriate legal route for their potential future withdrawal from the District. Before continuing construction, the district needs assurance that should Milwaukie choose to depart, District investments are not removed from district ownership at the expense of the rest of the District’s taxpayers.

The City of Milwaukie is trying to negotiate in good faith with the County Commissioners, but they are refusing to come to the table.

From the Sep 3, 2024 City Council meeting:

Mayor Batey asked if the District Board would be open to conversations with two Commissioners and two City Councilors to try to make progress on Milwaukie Bay Park, but Director Savas clarified that they would not resume negotiations until the appeal on the validation action is resolved or dropped.

Milwaukie Bay Park is a riverside oasis open to everyone. But it's unfinished.

1. $2.4 million in grant money was secured years ago for improvements that would make the park more accessible to everyone. This money was intended to build bathrooms, plant shade trees, construct a picnic area, playground, and a splash pad at Milwaukie Bay Park. See the final park design here
2. These grants include $370,000 in state grants, $1.5 million in Metro grants, and $520,000 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund Source.
3. The Clackamas County Commissioners directed NCPRD to put the project on hold in 2021.
4. According to the project schedule, construction should have been completed by now.

Public transparency and accountability is lacking.

1. In 2021, the County Board of Commissioners directed NCPRD put a “90-day hold on the project” as Commissioner Paul Savas was concerned that Milwaukie could one day leave the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District. Tying this issue to park construction is political theater. Regardless of whether Milwaukie leaves the district, the park would remain equally accessible to everyone.
2. For over two years now that “90-day hold” has been in place and no planning or development has occurred. Meanwhile, construction costs have skyrocketed with inflation and NCPRD has focused parks development efforts on other projects, as well as new master planning for the entire district.
3. For proof of this lack of transparency, see past web snapshots of the park page from June 01 2023 and July 06 2024 which mention this "90 day hold".
4. Friends of Milwaukie Bay Park emailed NCPRD in August asking about this 90 day hold, and for the website to be updated with information about the status of the grant money. The email was never answered.
5. Someone updated the park page in the past few weeks to remove the "90 days" wording, without adding any details about project timing or acknowledging the lapsing grant money.

We may lose this grant money due to fiscal mismanagement

1. This grant money was tied to construction deadlines, and this grant money is at risk of being lost. [See the project schedule]
2. Allowing grant money to lapse may affect Milwaukie's ability to secure grants in the future.

We need to untangle this from separate issues to move forward

1. You may hear a talking point from the County Commissioners that construction is delayed because Milwaukie is pursuing legal action against the county. Don't buy it. This is misdirection.
2. The City is seeking clarification from the courts on whether Milwaukie could hypothetically leave the district, but no decision has been made on what the City may do in the future. Since the park is a regional benefit to everyone, this open question should not be an excuse to hold up construction.
3. It's time to separate these two issues, so that we can improve a regional park that's of benefit to those all over Clackamas County and beyond.
4. For a thorough background and timeline on the conflict between the City of Milwaukie and the Clackamas County Commissioners, see July 18, 2024 Council Work Session (search for “Parks Goal Update”) and Sep 3, 2024 Council Work Session (Search for "Milwaukie Bay Park").

We are Friends of Milwaukie Bay Park, a group of citizens who want our leaders to put politics aside, and finish building what we started.

We want Milwaukie Bay Park to be finished using the grant money we already have.

What would a finished park look like? See for yourself! Images sourced from the NCPRD MBP Project Page

Planting more shade trees

Adding picnic areas

Stage

Water feature / Splash pad

Playground

Want to see your Milwaukie Bay Park look like this? See the next section for what you can do!

Email the Clackamas County Commissioners

The county commissioners are elected to be accountable to the people. Their email address is: BCC@clackamas.us.

1. We want full transparency on the NCPRD's MBP website. No more indefinite project holds.
2. Where's the Funding? We want commitments that you are doing everything you can to save the $2.4 million in grant money.
3. We want to see a plan for resuming the construction phase and building MBP.

Mayor Lisa Batey: It's Time to Move Forward With Construction For Milwaukie Bay Park

Read the letter on page 2 of the August 2024 edition of the Milwaukie Pilot (PDF Link)

Lisa Gunion-Rinker, Chair of the board of the Milwaukie Parks Foundation: Finish building Milwaukie Bay Park

Read the letter to the editor (Link to article)

Milwaukie Parks Foundation - Why the Board of County Commissioners should move forward to build Milwaukie Bay Park

Read more about the history of the park project, and some suggested talking points when writing letters of support: ( Link to document)